Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 165: Wildfire (2)

"Ryong, where are you suddenly running off to?! And why are you carrying Hwayang?! You’ll get poisoned again at this rate! Hwa-eun! Hwa-eun! Look at what So-ryong is doing!"

Behind me, Seol’s scolding struck the back of my head like a flying dagger.

She wasn’t even part of the Tang Clan, yet here she was, reprimanding me like an elder.

To make things worse, she even called out to Hwa-eun, who had been peacefully playing in the cabin with Bini, Seol, and Hyang.

There’s nothing more underhanded than tattling in this world, and it seemed like Seol was about to report me straight to Hwa-eun.

Seol... I trusted you... Why...

A faint sense of betrayal crept in, but I supposed she had a point.

Hwayang’s body was coated in toxins, making it dangerous to touch, yet here I was, holding it tightly while sprinting toward a blazing mountain. Of course, Seol’s nagging was inevitable.

But even if I ended up poisoned again, even if Hwa-eun scolded me later—how could the great Spicy Fabre possibly hold himself back now?

This was my one chance to find out what kind of creature Hwayang really was.

Right now, Hwayang was like an unscratched lottery ticket—I had to scratch it immediately. Who knew when another opportunity like this would come again?

If Hwayang’s diet were something cheap and easy like Cho or Bini, it would’ve been fine.

But his food was fire itself.

And that meant keeping him fed was a costly endeavor. To create a fire of this magnitude required a fortune—not something I could afford to replicate on a whim.

So even if I end up coughing blood, I’m not missing this chance.

I knew Seol was worried about my health, but I wasn’t recklessly touching Hwayang without a plan.

I was Fabre, after all.

A master of handling venomous creatures. Did she really think I’d grab Hwayang without preparing for the worst?

I had contingencies in place.

With Seol, Bini, and Dong on hand, detoxifying myself would be tough, but it was definitely possible.

Besides, having already been poisoned once, I probably had some level of resistance by now.

So, ignoring the sharp scolding behind me, I activated my light movement technique and leaped across the water channel Bini had carved, heading straight for the mountain’s base.

One of the four fire-starting points was just ahead, and now the entire mountain was blazing like an enormous bonfire.

The heat was intense, making it difficult to approach. If I wanted to feed Hwayang, I needed to start from the outer edges and gradually work my way in.

I’ll have to peel away the flames carefully, like slicing apple skin.

With that plan in mind, I reached the mountain’s base while still holding Hwayang.

As I arrived, I spotted Sword Dragon, who had been monitoring the fire, turning to ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) me with a look of surprise.

"So-ryong, it’s dangerous here! Why did you come so close? Hm? And what’s that? Another venomous creature?"

Since the others had all revealed themselves before, but Hwayang had spent most of his time inside the water bucket in my cabin, this was the first time Sword Dragon had seen him.

"Yes, this is another one of my creatures. I’m here to feed him."

"...Feed him?"

Sword Dragon blinked in confusion at the mention of food.

At that moment, I felt Hwayang wriggling restlessly in my arms.

Faced with such a grand feast, he was struggling to break free and lunge forward.

"Alright, alright, go ahead."

I loosened my grip slightly and tilted his head forward.

Then, as I stepped closer to the flames, the roaring fire on the nearest tree suddenly spiraled into Hwayang’s mouth, sucked in like a vortex.

A startled gasp rang out from behind me.

"So-ryong! That fire is too intense—H-Huh?! He’s... eating the flames?!"

Sword Dragon’s voice trembled in disbelief.

The massive fire consuming the tree had been instantly devoured by Hwayang.

Even I was a little surprised.

Hwayang had already grown all four legs, and now his method of consuming fire was completely different.

Back when he had no legs, the flames had been drawn in thin and wispy, almost like a delicate thread being pulled in.

But now?

Now, it was like a massive industrial vacuum cleaner had been turned on. The fire vanished in an instant.

Holy... This is insane.

I stood there in shock, staring at Hwayang.

He turned his gaze toward me, then—

Smack. Smack.

With a flick of his tail, he slapped both my cheeks.

"Ow! Alright, alright, I get it!"

It was his way of saying, Hurry up and bring me more food.

Like a stunned version of Heungbu getting slapped by Nolbu, I snapped out of my daze and rushed toward the next fire.

Even though I had just been smacked, I felt... oddly happy.

His tail was incredibly soft—it wrapped around my cheeks so snugly.

Who else in this world could say they had been slapped in the face by a giant tadpole’s tail?

I got smacked, but I’m happy...

Grinning like a fool, I hurriedly positioned Hwayang in front of another fire.

And the moment I did—

An awe-inspiring sight unfolded before me.

As I moved, every step I took, every shift in position—

All the nearby flames, both large and small, were sucked straight into Hwayang’s mouth.

It was like a vacuum sucking up dust, except instead of dust, it was fire.

But despite consuming flames at an astonishing rate, Hwayang still wasn’t satisfied.

He kept turning to me, his expression full of impatience, urging me to move faster.

"I’m moving as fast as I can, Hwayang!"

I knew he wanted me to hurry, but this wasn’t easy.

The fire had spread along the edges of the mountain, forming interconnected blazes.

To feed him systematically, I had to track down each section of fire and lead him to it.

Hwayang could devour continuous flames effortlessly, but separated fires required manual feeding.

Moreover, the heat from the flames Hwayang absorbed felt like a sauna to me.

But if I stepped even a little too far into the unabsorbed flames—

I felt like I had walked into a furnace.

I need to come up with a better plan.

The fire wouldn’t last forever. Once the trees were reduced to ash, the wildfire would naturally die down.

I had to maximize Hwayang’s feeding before that happened.

Is there another way...?

I paused for a moment, scanning the burning mountain, trying to come up with a new approach.

Then, my gaze landed on something unexpected.

From behind, I heard the familiar voices of Hwa-eun and Seol.

"Ryong! Get back here right now!"

"So-ryong! It’s too dangerous! Come back!"

They had arrived and were calling out to me in alarm.

But my eyes weren’t on them.

They were on Seol’s cloak.

More precisely, the leopard pelt she had draped over her shoulders.

And suddenly, in my mind, the pelt and the burning flames overlapped.

A perfect combination.

Should I take a gamble?

High risk, high reward, right?

Without hesitation, I rushed toward them.

"Seol! Lend me that pelt for a moment!"

"Don’t even think about it!"

"So-ryong! We need to talk!"

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Before I could explain, they grabbed me from both sides and started dragging me away.

"Wait, just hear me out! If I miss this chance, Hwayang might never reach his mature form!"

"What?!"

"Why?!"

"It’s because—"

As I desperately explained the situation while being dragged away, both Hwa-eun and Seol fell into deep thought before finally nodding.

“I understand what you’re saying, but isn’t this too dangerous?”

“That’s right, So-ryong! It’s way too risky!”

Their concern was genuine, and I knew why.

The flames were raging so fiercely that they were worried I might get hurt.

But was I the kind of man to give up?

This was Spicy Fabre, a man who didn’t know the meaning of surrender.

“I’ll be as careful as possible. I won’t get hurt. Please. Please! Please! Hwa-eun! Seol! Please!”

“Ah, w-wait, don’t cling to me while saying that, So-ryong! And don’t wrap your arm around my waist—no, ah, wait...!”

“There’s no way I’ll agree just because you beg—huh? Hey, my shoulder...!”

At first, they both resisted firmly.

But when I pleaded with the face of a husband about to buy a gaming console, they finally caved.

Of course, as an added bonus, I made sure to massage Seol’s shoulder and wrap my arm around Hwa-eun’s waist.

In the end, Seol sighed and handed me the leopard pelt she had draped over her shoulders.

“...And what exactly are you going to do with this?”

Instead of answering, I grabbed the pelt and rushed toward the nearby water channel.

Once there, I soaked it completely until it was dripping wet, then threw it over myself.

And then—

I lifted Hwayang onto my head and sprinted straight into the flames.

“Like this.”

“So-ryong!”

“So-ryong! If you come back alive, I swear I won’t let you off easy!”

If I had explained first, they never would have allowed it.

That’s why I moved immediately.

Sure enough, their furious voices rang out behind me.

But there was no other choice.

Even if they beat me up later, I had to act now.

To make sure Hwayang ate as much fire as possible, I needed to reach the heart of the blaze—the fire core.

And this was the only way to get close enough.

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As for the consequences?

That was for another version of me in a parallel universe to deal with.

I leave it to you, my alternate selves!

—Whoooosh!

As flames roared above me, they were instantly sucked into Hwayang’s mouth.

Without wasting time, I changed direction and ran toward the valley stream flowing down from the mountain.

Even with a soaked pelt, there was no way I could survive the journey without catching fire.

No matter how much water the pelt had absorbed, it would evaporate over time, so I needed to keep soaking it in the nearby water channels as I moved toward the fire core.

I sprinted, letting Hwayang devour flames above me, until I reached the valley.

The moment I stepped into the stream, I felt a strange warmth.

‘Damn, fire really isn’t a joke.’

The heat from the wildfire had actually heated the shallow stream, turning it into a lukewarm bath.

After dunking the pelt into the water again, I launched myself upstream, following the valley’s path.

Above me, sparks and embers rained down like a fiery waterfall.

The intense glow of the flames made my eyes sting.

I climbed further and further, using the valley as a natural shield, until—

“...Damn. Is this as far as we can go? The peak is still far ahead.”

Even after all that effort, I still hadn’t reached the fire core.

After half an hour of climbing, I had arrived at the source of the valley stream, but the fire core was still out of reach.

“Can we even make it to the fire core?”

The surrounding area had already been cleared by Hwayang’s flame absorption, making it relatively safe.

But there was no water source beyond this point, meaning I couldn’t keep climbing further.

It was disappointing, but it looked like this was the limit.

I took Hwayang off my head, looked into his eyes, and sighed.

“Hwayang, we tried, but this is as far as we can go. So let’s just—GYAAAAH!?”

Right as I was about to admit defeat, my eyes landed on Hwayang’s tail.

It was one-third shorter than before.

Not because it had been cut, but because it had been burnt away as he consumed the fire.

The words that had been about to leave my mouth completely changed.

“...No, wait. Just because we tried hard doesn’t mean we should stop here! We need results! Screw it! We’re going all the way! A man is born once—he dies once, too!”

...Well, technically, I had already died once before.

But that wasn’t the point.

Fueled by determination, I crouched beside the bubbling stream, desperately trying to come up with a solution.

That’s when—

—Tsrut?

A familiar voice echoed in my mind.

Looking up, I spotted Cho flying overhead, searching for me.

Wait, that’s it!

Suddenly, a realization struck me like lightning.

The most intense flames—the peak of all fire—would be at the highest point.

If I wanted Hwayang to absorb the maximum amount of fire, I needed to go straight to the very top.

And that’s when an insane plan formed in my mind.

“Hwayang, let’s clear out as much fire as we can first!”

I needed Cho to land here.

So I had Hwayang devour all the surrounding flames before calling Cho down.

Cho! Dad’s here! Come down!

The moment Cho spotted me, he swooped down through the fire and immediately started scolding me.

—Tsrurur! Tsur! Tsutsurut!

His nagging sounded exactly like Hwa-eun’s.

After calming him down, I mentally showed him my plan.

Cho, listen. Hwayang has been starving for ten years. This might be his only chance to fully mature. We have to help him...

As I transmitted my vision, Cho’s antennae twitched.

He was asking if I was serious.

I nodded firmly.

—Tsrut?

In the vision, I used Seol’s leopard pelt to make ropes.

Then, I tied myself to Cho’s body, securing myself at his front.

Once in the air, I’d hold Hwayang forward and dive straight into the peak of the flames like a meteor.

Since Hwayang absorbed heat along with fire, the rear would be safe, meaning I could plunge straight into the fire core.

Cho’s response?

Complete shock.

But I had one last card to play.

Cho, you’re my favorite child, right? You’ll do this for me, won’t you?

—Tsuruut?

A long pause.

Then, he agreed.

“Alright, let’s go!”

With Hwayang stretched forward, we plummeted from the sky like a meteor.

The moment Hwayang reached the core of the wildfire—

The entire mountain erupted into a massive vortex of flames, spiraling into Hwayang’s mouth.

—WHOOOOSH!

Like a gigantic black hole for fire.

Or rather, a red hole.

And the moment all the flames vanished—

We crashed into the mountain’s ashen peak.

—THUD!

‘Everyone okay!?’

—Tsrururt!

Cho responded, confirming we were fine.

As the ash cloud settled, Hwayang’s true form was revealed.

Gyaaah— huh?!

Something was off.

Hwayang looked... adorable.

Too adorable.

Did I just hatch a dud lottery ticket...?!

He lacked the dignity of a fearsome beast.